Cyber Security graduate wins prestigious Fred Piper Award
Edward Motson, a BSc Cyber SecurityLink opens in a new window graduate from WMG at The University of Warwick, was named as the Fred Piper Award Winner at ‘CIISec LIVE’ in Bristol.
In honour of Professor Fred Piper, this national award is presented by The Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) to celebrate outstanding students, not only for academic achievements but for contributions to the cyber community too.
Those nominated for the Fred Piper Award have previously been awarded the titles of Best Student or Best Project by CIISec’s Academic Partners, as part of CIISec's Student of the Year Awards.
Edward was chosen as the winner of the Fred Piper Award due to his contributions that extended beyond his academic research during his time studying at Warwick, notably through a WMG internship alongside his studies.
Edward’s eight-week internship was part of WMG’s Summer Internship SchemeLink opens in a new window which offers undergraduate students the chance to find out what a career in academic research looks like. Edward supported a research project which promoted cyber security education to local school children, raising aspirations and widening participation.
Edward explored opportunities in the cyber curriculum, researched teaching practices, and developed age-appropriate educational activities for primary and secondary students. This work informed the development of educational resources by the WMG Cyber Security Centre (CSC), which will be evaluated through their outreach work.
Dr Elzbieta TitisLink opens in a new window, Assistant Professor in Cyber Security at WMG, who worked closely with Edward on his internship, said: “We are extremely proud of Edward for receiving the Fred Piper Award. Edward’s work during his internship was nothing short of exemplary. Employers are looking for well-rounded candidates with a wide range of skills, which can be developed from extracurricular activities, such as this internship. We encourage our students to take full advantage of these experiences.”
The Fred Piper Award panel was also impressed by Edward’s dissertation entitled “Cyber Warfare in the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict: A Timeline and Analysis of Cyber Operations During the War,” as well as his high marks across all taught modules on his degree.
Two other WMG graduates, Keerthana Tharuvara Kallottil (MSc Cyber Security ManagementLink opens in a new window) and Bharath Sadasivaiah (MSc Cyber Security EngineeringLink opens in a new window), were also shortlisted and nominated for the Fred Piper Award 2024. Keerthana was awarded the title of Best Project (Master’s) and Bharath received the title of Best Student (Master’s).
Dr Harjinder LallieLink opens in a new window, Associate Professor in Cyber Security at WMG, said: “The achievements of Edward, Keerthana, and Bharath are a testament to our fantastic students, the excellence of teaching, and WMG’s commitment to developing the next generation of cyber security professionals. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
Find out more about studying at WMG here: Study with WMG, University of WarwickLink opens in a new window